ROUND ROCK, Texas (Talk1370.com) -- Round Rock ISD became the latest Central Texas school district Tuesday to announce a temporary requirement for face coverings at all district campuses and facilities.
In a special called meeting that began at 5:30 p.m. Monday evening and lasted until nearly 3 a.m. Tuesday morning, the district's Board of Trustees voted to approve the mandate, which will go into effect Wednesday, Aug. 18, when the district begins its fall semester.
“My ultimate responsibility is the health and welfare of our students. We must look at the science, listen to the experts, and do what is right to protect them. As several other superintendents who have made the decision to require masks have said, if we’re going to err, I want to err on the side of caution,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Hafedh Azaiez. "As the public health climate continues to rapidly change, we must be willing to adapt and make decisions to protect our community as we know that masks are an essential tool in reducing the spread of COVID-19."
The district's mask protocol calls for students, teachers, staff, and visitors to wear masks on buses and while inside campuses where six feet of distance cannot be maintained. Students and staff have the option to remove their masks while seated in cafeterias and staff lunch rooms and while outdoors, and the requirement is not effective during athletics, fine arts, and physical education classes unless deemed appropriate by the coach, director or instructor.
Parents will be able to opt their students out of the requirement if they choose.
The district, in a release, referenced Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order GA-36, which prohibits schools from issuing mask mandates. The release also mentions the legal challenges several jurisdictions are waging against Abbott's order.
On Monday, Williamson County Attorney Dee Hobbs urged governmental entities within the county, including school districts, to "choose a proper legal mechanism" if they wish to "challenge the Governor's authority regarding masks," referencing a number of potential criminal violations of the Texas Penal Code for violations of Abbott's order.
Round Rock's temporary mandate is set to expire on September 17, unless further extended by the board prior to that date.